Coming to Terms
by ladygoodwin
Summary: Mircles happen and they are to be celebrated. The pain from past hurts, however, doesn't easily dissapear. Post DH. Spoilers.


Coming to Terms

"Harry! Harry wake up. Wake up, Harry, now!"

Harry groaned and rolled over unable to force himself awake.

"Oh really! You defeated the world's darkest wizard and you can't force yourself to bleeding WAKE UP!"

Harry's eyes jerked open at Ron's yell. He blinked looking around before staring at Ron, who wore a beaming smile plastered on his face. Last he knew the war was over. Last he knew Ron's brother was dead.

"Ron?"

"You slept flat through Hermoine and Ginny!"

Harry was becoming more and more confused by the second. "Ginny? What?"

"Harry the death eaters . . . and supporters. We've caught so many of them and . . ."

Harry rubbed his eyes reaching for his glasses.

"Can't someone else deal with them? Blimey haven't we done enough?"

"What are you talking about?"

Harry sighed. "Ron what're YOU talking about?"

"The wands. Quite a bit of the Order has stayed up recalling the wands last spells."

Harry sat up thinking he had a better chance of waking up fully if he did so.

"They know who . . . who killed F . . . everyone?"

Ron's grin didn't fit this sort of situation.

"Who did kill. And a few who didn't kill."

"Ron please just speak plainly."

"He _isn't_ dead. There's . . . there's 13 who aren't dead. The curses. The killing curse, Harry. You have to mean it. You can be damn near to meaning it, and and it may seem to have worked, but . . . you have to MEAN it."

Harry stood in utter shock. "He . . . Freds alive?"

"Yes! I mean, he's still out, but not all of them are. Some have come to!"

"How do you know Fred's one of them?" Harry asked dressing quickly.

Ron laughed. "The wands. When the spell is recalled it creates these memories of the victims, you know that. There Fred was standing in front of Mum and Dad n Percy, I guess, all green light having this huge laugh over that wanker of a Death Eater. Grub, I think, Frident Grub. Member him? Bout three years ahead of us. Anyway they caught on right quick, and run into the room where the dead are, and there, standing all confused and rightly horrified, is Lylinda . . . something or other a fifth year Hufflepuff anyway . . . two more have woken since. They've moved all of the ones from his wand up to the hospital wing. Fred's there."

Harry stood dressed staring at his best friend. A smile finally broke out on his face. "Why on earth are we standing here?"

"Oh . . . oh he should be waking." Said Molly Weasley, hands pressed together almost in prayer. Ginny and Hermione stood on each side rubbing the older woman's back, trying to calm her.

Arthur stood just as nervous staring at his son. "Molly, we don't know just how long it could . . ."

He'd moved. They'd all swear it.

"Fred. Fred you git wake up." George's voice was hoarse, and Harry thought he looked so strange without his mischievous smile, and glint in his eye.

"M'not a git."

The entire Weasley clan froze. Fred's eyes opened slowly, and he looked around at the solemn faces.

"Di we win?"

And with that a flurry of kissing and hugging, crying and wailing, chatting and explaining consumed Fred's corner of the hospital wing. Off to one side Harry stood watching the joyous family, and couldn't help but ache.

"Thought I'd find ya here."

Harry looked up from his place on the floor. He gave an apologetic smile.

"I felt the hugest . . . need to get out of there once I'd seen he really was alright. Probably thinks I'm the foulest friend ever created."

"I think his twin fulfills that position. In an oddly . . . decent sort of way."

Harry smiled slightly as his best friend sat down beside him. All was silent for quite some time.

"Bellatrix got Tonks." Ron whispered staring at the peaceful face remembering a time when the wild woman's lips had been the exact same shade of blue they were now . . . just cuz it looked cool.

Harry's lips pursed, but he said nothing.

"We don't know who k . . . got Lupin yet."

"I know they're not waking up." Harry felt the need to clarify.

Ron nodded even Harry's hope had its limits. Still he wasn't quite sure why it was his best friend was sitting in, for all intents and purposes, a very full morgue.

"Just . . . its weird . . . I know, but I never got to see them."

"Who mate?"

"The others. Mum and dad mostly, but Sirius or even Dumbledore really. I just wish that I could have just stared . . . at each one of them until my mind was full of every little fact I could possibly fit in my memory." Harry looked up. "You forget. You don't think you ever will, but you always do. I spent three days last year trying to remember just how Sirius' eyes used to crinkle when he smiled, and I couldn't for the life of me."

Ron's throat felt tight, and his whole being came to the realization that he really had thought his brother was dead. He really had been given the worlds biggest reprieve this side of the veil. And for every reprieve and close call his family had avoided the disastrous result hit Harry full on. Suddenly Harry looked a whole lot different than he ever had. Number one. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. The amazing . . . well man now, he supposed, Ron felt he'd always play sidekick to had absolutely no family . . . not even a connection to what family he used to have now. Ron watched as Harry hugged his knees and set his weary head on top of them still staring at Lupin, eyes brimming. Ron had honestly never thought that maybe once in a while Harry wouldn't be the strong one.

"Harry . . ." Ron didn't have the best voice, or aptitude, for speech making. "Mum and Dad'll want you back at the Burrow, you know."

Harry's eyebrows met. "What?"

"S'really amazing how poorly I string words together." Ron said blushing. "You're not alone, you know? The Weasley clan claimed you a long time ago, and no one easily removes themselves from the Weasleys."

"I don't feel alone." Harry told smiling softly. "Haven't since the day we met on the train, and Hermoine came busting in being a right know it all."

Ron snorted, but couldn't hide his affectionate smile.

Harry's head went back on his knees. "I just feel loss, and maybe a little lost too."

Ron mimicked Harry's stance and looked around the room of people who'd given up everything. Loss was easy to understand.

"I wish they'd woken up." He whispered feeling his throat tighten again.

Harry wiped his eyes. "S'not reality. What's happened to those thirteen . . . if it hadn't happened, if someone had just hypothesized the whole thing people would say they were in denial, couldn't accept death. It was a miraculously wonderful accident, a small gift, a small sign of reluctance even in one of the most evil of wizards. They weren't dead just . . . stopped, something like that. Lupin and Tonks are gone."

"You're only 17 you shouldn't know this much about death."

Harry gave a small snort. "Lots of things that shouldn't . . . are."

Ron tilted his head. "You sound like Dumbledore."

"I should he's been teaching me lessons like that for a long time. Anyways, I'm one of those things."

"What things?"

"I'm a thing that shouldn't be, but am. Three Avada Kedavra curses made by the most evil wizard in the world."

"Don't say you shouldn't be. You were meant to be."  
Harry shrugged. "S'pose its just words anyways."

They lapsed into a long silence again. Ron watched Harry watch the two still bodies laying on the stone floor. The creepiness had long left the room.

"D'ya think Nymphadora knows?" Harry asked.

"Dad sent a friend of hers to tell her." Ron told. It was one bit of information in a running commentary he'd gotten when he'd met up with his father after waking to the news his brother was alive.

Harry nodded. "I've just realized I may, in fact, be acting father of a very small infant."

Ron couldn't help but be amused despite their situation and whereabouts. "Mrs. Tonks will probably care for him for you."

Harry was quiet. "I'll take him if she agrees. Break the awful cycle we've got so far . . . try not to get MY self killed."

"You're only 17, Harry."

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't change my thinking much."

Ron nodded. If that's what he wanted. "I'll be a great uncle I think."

Harry chuckled thinking what his life would have been like had he replaced Uncle Vernon with a man like Ron. "You certainly will be."

Ron gave one last glance at Teddy's parents and looked at his best friend. "You've got all the memories you'll ever get from them."

Harry stared one last moment, and nodded. "Yea."

"Suppose I'll go back up to the hospital wing. The family is practically camped out."

Harry smiled a genuinely happy smile. "I'm so glad he's alright."

The thick feeling returned to Ron's throat. "Yea."

"Is your family terribly upset with me leaving?"

Ron's brows connected. "Of course not."

Harry nodded. "S'pose Fred would mind much if I skipped out tonight?"

Ron realized that while Harry was unbelievably happy about Fred the idea of a celebration was too much.

"Not at all."

Harry nodded as they walked from the depressing room. "I'm going to go back to sleep, I think."

Ron watched Harry turn and begin to walk away.

"Harry . . . I dunno if you're one of those things that shouldn't be and is anyway . . . or if you were meant to be, but I'll say thanks every single day for the fact that you're still here."

Harry turned around and smiled. "S'why you're my best mate, Ron." He told before walking away.

It was midday when Harry finally pulled himself from his dreams and fully awoke. Ron lay snoring in the bed he'd occupied the last seven years, and he smiled to see that Seamus, Dean, and Neville had all found their way to their home when their duties were done. He dressed quietly and left the dorm quickly. He hoped to catch Fred when the room wasn't full of celebrating Weasleys. He felt guilty for that line of thought, but still couldn't fight off the pain in his gut at the idea of so much jovial celebration with all the destruction that lay around them.

Fred was nearly alone. George sat at his side, solemn and quiet. He looked up when he heard Harry approach and smiled.

"Oy Fred wake up, the royal Potter has deemed it appropriate to visit you."

Fred's eyes fluttered open slowly, but he was smirking right away. "Bout bleedin time."

Harry smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Not a great demonstration of friendship, me."

Fred's smile was soft as he sat up slowly. It was comforting, and strange all at once. "Believe me there was plenty of demonstrating."

"He wasn't even sick when he woke up. He's here for the headache from all the bleeding noise they made."

Harry chuckled slightly pulling up a chair. "Nice of you to make me feel better, but really how are you feeling?"

Fred smiled. "Well its really just the aches from all those rocks that landed on me. Percy said he thought that's what'd done it."

Harry nodded solemnly. "It was pretty violent."

"They tell me Tonks and Lupin are gone."

That pang of hurt soared through Harry again. "Yeah."

"M'sorry Harry."

"All you should be thinking about is getting better, and back into that joke shop, Fred. Don't worry about me."

Fred and George's smiles were so soft and comforting it was actually quite strange. Harry smiled. "It's not that I don't appreciate the worry, guys, its just that it looks so strange on you."

The twins laughed and stayed away from serious the rest of Harry's visit.

"It's happened before, Madam Pomfrey, I'm telling you. Look. I found it in this book from the Library."

"It's actually kinda nice to hear her say that again." Ron whispered to Harry standing beside him. Harry smirked, and coughed to cover his laugh.

Madam Pomfrey, who until this point had been absolutely unconvinced she should ever let the 13 awoken wizards out of their hospital beds, let alone let one leave today, seemed to be listening.

"Right here." Hermione said pointing at a paragraph in a book Ron thought looked heavier than some of Hogwart's statues. "'This rare state of unconsciousness, brought about by a weak Killing Curse, will lift within twelve hours leaving it's victim sleepy, lethargic, and possibly . . . huh that's strange, possibly blue, literally blue, for several days. Are any of them blue?" Hermione asked exceedingly interested.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. She was being outwitted by an 18 year old, but her patients would be okay. "A fair few."

"Interesting. Anyway the book also says 'The authors would like to impress the rarity of this resurrection of sorts. Once a wizard has entered into the dark side of magic so completely it is very unlikely that they would find the want to perform the Killing Curse mired by their own conscience.' It makes perfect sense. Grub wasn't much older than we are. He was a death eater's son. Sure he was a nasty Slytheryn, foul hygene to boot, but odds are he was pushed into this fight."

"But he thought it was working, though, and that's why he did it so many times." Ron concluded, nodding.

Madam Pomfrey looked at the three students. They'd given her no end of trouble in their six years at the school . . . and she couldn't have liked them more if she tried. She smiled. "I suppose this means you'd like Fred to go home?"

"Fred would like to go home!" Fred hollered from his end of the hospital wing.

"Dunno if we should, though. You sure his face should look so disfigured?" George called over as well, grinning.

"Har har."

Ron looked over at his brothers then back at Madam Pomfrey. "Or maybe you could keep both of them a bit longer?"

The End

A/N: I write fic but this is the first time I've posted on so I'm not really in the know on how to fix it up and make it pretty. I'll get the hang of it.

This story sat around in my head for a few months before I decided to go ahead and write it. In some ways it negates a little bit of a very valid point J.K. was making and that is that death doesn't discriminate, especially in war, and that the ones we love the most, the ones that seem like they're way too full of life to ever go, do die. And sometimes the laughter doesn't overcome. Rowling wrote reality into stories revolving around magic. That said, I wanted my one story, my one universe, were our Fred made it, changed . . . but still Fred.


End file.
